Bollywood show in Beijing wins hearts

Film troop popularises Indian culture with show titled Ticket to Bollywood

India’s latest experiment to woo Chinese and sell Brand India with a mix of Bollywood and business appears to be making headway, as an audience of over 800 cheered a power-packed dance performance showcasing India's diversity.

Billed as the first serious attempt to initiate Indian films and culture to Chinese, whose love for Indian songs ends with Raj Kapoor's

Awara

, a 46-member Indian film troop signed off its month and half long tour with a captivating show on Sunday.

The dance troop from Mumbai, sponsored by several agencies of the Indian government in association with the Chinese Foreign Ministry, gave 22 performances in about 16 Chinese cities to popularise Indian culture with the show titled Ticket to Bollywood.

The shows were being organised in connection with the 60th year of celebrations of establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

The event used 400 costumes and 1000 pieces of Indian jewellery to showcase a microcosm of Bollywood. Four decades of the film industry were compressed into a 90-minute capsule.

Senior officials of Chinese Foreign Ministry took part in the show and over 300 tickets were sold for tickets varying from USD 30 to 300.

On the sidelines of these shows in different cities, Indian Embassy officials organised a number of business seminars to popularise Indian business houses and their products to make inroads into Chinese markets.

The mix of culture and trade initiative was regarded important, as the balance of burgeoning trade between the two countries continue to tilt heavily in favour of China. "With all these initiatives, we hope to succeed," said K Nagraraj Naidu, First Secretary of the Economic and Commercial section of the Indian Embassy.